[Fugaku: Uh, is Itachi still there? If you are, come home and take a look.]
Fugaku's head was covered in sweat. The pressure Sasuke had just put on him was immense. Even after activating Susanoo, he had been unable to hold out for a single exchange.
[Itachi: All right, Father.]
Uchiha Fugaku was not the only one left dumbfounded. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hyuga Hiashi were not doing well either. After all, no one could stay calm after seeing a giant several hundred meters tall appear in their backyard.
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Fugaku, was the ninja who suddenly appeared just now a powerful member of the Uchiha Clan?]
Hiruzen Sarutobi was still shaken. The arrow Sasuke had just loosed had crushed the spirit of the Shinobi World Professor.
If the Uchiha Clan has someone that powerful, what are we even fighting for? We might as well just hand Konoha over to the Uchiha Clan from now on.
Danzo had it worst of all. He still could hardly believe it. Where had his massive Root gone?
In the blink of an eye, it had been reduced to rubble, and most of the Root members he had painstakingly trained had been lost in an instant.
Danzo turned around, furious. He could no longer conceal the rage in his eyes.
"Danzo, don't provoke that powerful ninja!" Hiruzen Sarutobi warned. After all, that ninja had been able to reduce Root to rubble in a single move. He might turn around and wipe out Hiruzen's Anbu too.
Danzo looked as though he had aged more than ten years. He could barely manage a few words.
"Hiruzen, Root needs to be rebuilt."
Hiruzen Sarutobi understood what his good brother meant. Wasn't he asking for money?
Out of consideration for their many years of friendship, Hiruzen Sarutobi was reluctant to refuse outright, but he couldn't really fork over hundreds of millions of ryo to support his good brother.
"Danzo, as your close friend, I'd be more than happy to support you, but as Hokage, I have more to consider," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with concern.
One look at Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression told Danzo it probably wasn't going to happen. Without another word, he left the Hokage's office, unwilling to listen even to Homura and Koharu.
After leaving the Hokage's office, Danzo's face was exceptionally grim. Hiruzen had no idea how important Root was to Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, if you are Konoha, basking in the sunlight, then I, Shimura Danzō, am the root buried deep underground.
Without me handling the darkness buried beneath Konoha for Hiruzen, how could Hiruzen Sarutobi enjoy the light outside in peace?
As for relying on the two advisors, Homura and Koharu, it wasn't that Danzo looked down on them. Forget it. Danzo had to admit that he did look down on them.
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!" Danzo said his final words as he looked at the Hokage's office, then went to deal with the aftermath at Root.
If Danzo still had thoughts of revenge, the Hyuga Clan were like startled birds. How could they still dare call themselves Konoha's greatest clan?
Didn't you see that giant, more than a hundred meters across? Are you going to challenge him?
Hiashi had summoned the clan elders and Hizashi, the head of the Branch Family.
After all, the matter had to be dealt with. Although the Hyuga Clan had only lost one elder this time, they were the ones who had started the mockery.
Now that they had been beaten into submission, the members of the Main Family all kept their tails between their legs and said nothing.
Hiashi sighed. It would be unrealistic to expect the Main Family to swallow their pride and apologize. Every one of them held the Main Family above all else.
But when it really mattered, they had nothing to say. Where had all their earlier bluster gone? Being clan head was truly exhausting.
"Brother, why don't I go and explain the situation to the Uchiha Clan? That way, the Main Family won't lose face, and others won't think the Hyuga Clan is timid and afraid of trouble," Hizashi Hyuga volunteered, having seen his brother's predicament.
When they heard Hizashi's suggestion, the Main Family elders suddenly spoke up again.
"Hizashi is right. Although our Hyuga Clan isn't afraid of the Uchiha, we still need to give them an explanation about Tokuma. Sending Hizashi will show our sincerity without damaging the Hyuga Clan's reputation."
Hearing his younger brother volunteer, Hiashi could only sigh.
When did I become unable to protect even my own brother? All the elders care about is whether the Main Family loses face. Who cares what contempt my brother will have to endure?
"Brother, don't worry. Although our Hyuga Clan was in the wrong first, that mysterious person has already punished us. Clan Head Fugaku isn't unreasonable. I'm confident I can handle it," Hizashi said, looking at the hesitant Hiashi.
It wasn't that Hiashi was indecisive. The problem was that, as clan head, he had to consider more. Besides, if his own brother was going to clean up the elders' mess, he had to secure a promise.
"Since we're leaving everything to Hizashi, what if Uchiha Fugaku refuses to accept the Hyuga Clan's apology? Wouldn't that make Hizashi lose face?" Hiashi said thoughtfully.
"Then what do you suggest we do, Clan Head?" An elder could tell there was more to Hiashi's words. He was clearly worried that his brother would be humiliated by the Uchiha Clan.
"I want the Caged Bird Seal removed from Hizashi's forehead!" Hiashi finally stated his demand.
Hizashi was shocked to hear what his brother had demanded for him. He had never expected his brother to make that a condition for the elders.
But how could those stubborn elders possibly agree to his brother's demand?
Sure enough, the elders rejected Hiashi's demand without a second thought.
"Impossible. There has never been a precedent for removing the Caged Bird Seal once it has been placed. I won't agree to that condition," an elder said decisively.
Looking at the stubborn elders, Hiashi had expected them to refuse. After all, there had never been such a precedent in the Hyuga Clan.
"Then, when Hizashi has a child in the future, the Caged Bird Seal won't be placed on his child's forehead. If you won't agree to that either, we'll have no choice but to make an enemy of the Uchiha Clan." Hiashi finally revealed his true demand: it concerned Hizashi's future child.
Hizashi's face was full of hope. For him, not having the Caged Bird Seal placed on his child would already be an unexpected joy.
As for himself, Hizashi had never hoped to be rid of the Caged Bird Seal. The Branch Family's duty was to protect the Main Family, and even without the Caged Bird Seal, Hizashi would still protect his brother.
The elders pondered for a moment before agreeing. Compared with an Elite Jonin like Hizashi, giving a child a chance at freedom was tolerable.
They absolutely could not give up Hizashi. Elite Jonin were among the strongest even in the Main Family, much less one like Hizashi, who stood out among Elite Jonin.
It sounded absurd, but that was the truth. The Hyuga Clan had not produced a genius ninja in a long time.
The top students at the Ninja Academy had always come from either the Uchiha Clan or other ninja clans. The Hyuga Clan had not had a new-generation ninja to represent them for a long time.